Daily Archives: February 19, 2012
Top 10 Personal Branding Quotes from People Who Made It, via @davidmerzel’s BLOG
Tomorrow 20th of Feb, I’ll give a presentation on personal branding for ICF (International Coach Federation)
The question I will raise is “Are you white or black belt in personal branding ?” You want to join ? More info HERE
I’ll try to make the link between marketing / branding for real products / services and personal branding. I believe that the most important think is to be authentic. That’s also the case for real brands for which I’ve developped an approach called “close contact marketing” inspired by KARATE I practice. Here-below, 6 rules of close contact marketing and also the Slideshare.
Here’s a list of Personal Branding quotes NOT from the usual suspects of Personal Branding experts but from people who have achieved remarkable things and built up great brands (source : http://jorgensundberg.net/content/top-10-personal-branding-quotes-those-who-made-it) I’ve found this interesting stuff thanks to jorgensundberg.net.
1. “Your Brand is What People Say About You When You’re Not in the Room”
Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon
2. “All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”
- Warren Buffett, Investor and philantropist
4. “Personal branding is about managing your name — even if you don’t own a business — in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Going on a date? Chances are that your “blind” date has Googled your name. Going to a job interview? Ditto.”
- Tim Ferriss, Author of the 4-Hour Work Week
5. “Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking chords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.”
- Sir Richard Branson, CEO Virgin
6. “It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have. Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level.”
- Gary Vaynerchuk, Author of Crush it!
7. “If I lost control of the business I’d lose myself–or at least the ability to be myself. Owning myself is a way to be myself.”
- Oprah Winfrey, Television mogul
8. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
- George Bernhard Shaw, Author
9. “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”
- Malcolm Forbes, Publisher
10. “Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken”.
- Oscar Wilde, Author and Playwright
First Steps To Building Your Personal Brand, via @davidmerzel’s BLOG
Interesting article regarding the First Steps To Building Your Personal Brand. Read the full artcile here (source : Forbes)
With the surge of social media, you have not only the ability, but you now have the need to manage your own reputation, both online and in real life. Why leave your professional reputation to chance, when you can be your own PR guru and manage your image?
The most impirtant think is to be authentic. That’s also the case for real brands for which I’ve developped an approach called “close contact marketing” inspired by KARATE I practice.
Here-below, 6 rules of close contact marketing, and also the Slideshare.
Your first task: Developing your “brand mantra.” Basically, this is the “heart and soul” of your brand, according to branding expert Kevin Keller. Here are four simple steps to creating your mantra:
1. Determine Your Emotional Appeal
Make a list of words that best describe these features of your personality. Hint: They can be as simple as Disney’s “fun.”
Questions to Consider:
- How do I make people feel?
- How do people benefit by working with me?
- What words do others use to describe me?
2. Determine Your Description
Your next step is coming up with a descriptive modifier that brings clarity to the emotional modifier, identifying what or who your brand is for. In Disney’s case, it’s “family.” In Nike’s mantra, “authentic athletic performance,” “authentic” is the emotional appeal, while “athletic” tells you what the brand is for. As an individual, yours might be an industry (“healthcare” or “education”), or it might be a tangible skill (“creative” or “strategic”).
Questions to Consider:
- What field or industry am I in (or do I want to be in)?
- What are the words I would use to describe my work?
- Who is my target audience?
3. Determine Your Function
Lastly, write down what, exactly, you do (or will do). It might be something that directly relates to your career: writing, graphic design, or financial planning, for example. Or, it might be something more broad, like Disney’s “entertainment.” Are you a manager, a creator, an organizer? A connector of people?
Questions to Consider:
- What service do I have to offer people?
- What do I do that makes me stand out from everyone else?
4. Put it All Together
Finally, look at your three lists of words, and see how you can combine them into a short sentence or phrase—no more than five words. Your brand mantra should communicate clearly who you are, it should be simple and memorable, and it should feel inspiring to you. You might be a “dependable, strategic planner” or “a creative professional connector.” Or, your mantra might be something like, “motivating others to do their best.”
5. Build your online Brand
Use your mantra and build your online brand, as well as how to live your brand, every day. Be also ready for your Perfect Pitch: How to Nail Your Elevator Speech
